Goal: Demand the criminal charges be dropped against Elvis Hernandez that resulted from him finding a home for a dog he found with no tag

Elvis Hernandez thought he was doing a good deed when he rescued a loose dog. Hernandez, a locksmith, was helping a customer in a nearby town when he saw the dachshund running in the middle of the road. When he was finally able to catch the dog, he realized the dog had no tags or even a collar.

Hernandez decided to try and give the dog a home with his family. He left his information with the customer so he could be contacted if the owner was ever found. He tried to keep the dog at his home, but the dachshund did not get along with his other dog. Since no one had contacted him for months about the stray dog, Hernandez eventually found a new home for it.

Unfortunately for Hernandez, no good deed goes unpunished. The owner of the dachshund eventually tracked him down. He apologized, and explained to the owner that he did not have the dog anymore, and did not know where it was.

The owner filed a police report and the police issued a warrant for Hernandez’s arrest. Hernandez was arrested, in front of his son, stripped of his license and charged with theft of property. These charges are preventing Hernandez from working; he is legally unable to work while the case is pending.

In an interview with KENS-TV Hernandez expressed regret for attempting to rescue, “not only did they attack my name, they attacked my livelihood. And being a single dad with children it hurts a lot.”

A case like this could prevent others from rescuing stray dogs. People should not be afraid they will be punished for doing good deeds. Sign the petition to demand the criminal charges are dropped against Elvis Hernandez for rescuing a dog he found loose in the streets.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Mr. Young,

Elvis Hernandez believed he was saving a dog from imminent death wandering around in the middle of the road. He did everything he could to find the owner of the stray dachshund, found without tags or a collar, even leaving his information with people in the area in case the owner was located. Hernandez attempted to keep the dog with him, but the dachshund did not get along well with his other dog, forcing him to find another home for the dachshund.

Once the owner tracked down Hernandez, he did not have any idea where the dachshund ended up. The owner of the dachshund filed charges, which rendered Hernandez legally unable to work and facing criminal charges for theft of property. As Hernandez has said, this whole situation has gotten out of hand. He was simply trying to help a dog he thought was homeless.

Whether or not Hernandez should have tried to find a home for the dog he found without tags or a collar is not the question. He did not intend to or purposely steal the dog. Please drop the charges of property theft against him. This case could send the message that people could face jail time for any number of good deeds and deter them from doing them.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo credit: Pixie Led via photozou

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One Comment

I still can’t understand WHY the system dose not arrest the animal abusers and that is an on going battle, but they can go after a nice person that tries to rescue and do the right thing to help this Doggie!?! Dahhh what a stupid way to think, humanity is far behind time, returds.